Font Pairings

01. Academia & Franklin Gothic SG

The clean-cut appeal of Academia and Franklin Gothic make them a perfect font pairing for simple stripped-back design projects that prioritise legibility and visual harmony. As a confident and classy serif font, Academia brings a touch of refinement that complements Fraklin Gothic’s more contemporary and functional sans serif form. By pairing two of the most iconic typefaces ever made, you’re guaranteed a timeless, classy look.

02. Playfair Display & Alice

Playfair Display is a bold serif font that commands attention. With its more rounded flourishes, it has a more playful feel than your typical serif font, giving your headings a sense of authority while maintaining a sense of fun. Paired with Alice, the fonts marry together for a whimsical effect that gives your projects a dose of character without sacrificing on legibility and function.

03. Aldus & Astoria Sans

Aldus was created as a new form of Old Face typeface. It was named after famous Venetian printer Aldus Manutius and has the artful elegance of Renaissance-style typography. When paired with the more modern Astoria Sans, inspired by the humanist sans-serif Gill, the fonts create a clean and classic look that’s perfect for many different projects.

04. Century Gothic & PT Serif

Century Gothic was originally made as a substitute font for Avant Garde. It’s based on Monotype 20th Century and has been modified to fit contemporary digital systems, while still maintaining a classic feel. It pairs well with PT Serif, a classic font created by ParaType. This combination is naturally complimentary, giving a timeless effect that doesn’t feel outdated or overused.

05. Calvert and Acumin

Named after its creator Margaret Calvert, Calvert is a punchy slab serif from Monotype. It comes in six styles: Calvert Pro and Standard, each with Light, Regular and Bold variants. For an ideal font pairing, try sans-serif Acumin. This typeface comprises a massive 90 different fonts (See our explanation of font vs typeface if you’re not sure about the difference between the two). Designed by Robert Slimbach as part of the Adobe Originals initiative, this font requires an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription for access.

06. Montserrat and Courier New

Google Font Montserrat was designed specifically for online use, while Courier New is a classic typewriter font (see our guide to the best typewriter fonts for more of those). Considering their very different purposes, you might not think this would make the best font pairing, but actually, they work perfectly together. Montserrat’s light, modern sans-serif letterforms offset Courier New’s heavier, retro vibe really well.

07. Alegreya Sans SC and Source Sans Pro

Designed by Juan Pablo del Peral for Huerta Tipográfica, Alegreya is a superfamily that includes sans and serif sister families alongside this small caps version. The family has a slightly calligraphic edge and is designed to be suitable for long blocks of text. However, the small caps variant is most suited to headers. We suggest pairing it with Source Sans Pro, Adobe’s first open-source typeface family, designed by Paul D. Hunt.

08. Pacifico and Quicksand

For a delightful font pairing with an unintentionally tropical theme, try Pacifico and Quicksand. Pacifico is a delightfully free and flamboyant brush font that’s great for use in headings, while Quicksand is a sans-serif with rounded terminals and some quirky touches, including that distinctive descender on the uppercase ‘Q’. Quicksand was actually also designed as a display typeface, but it offers enough clarity to work well at small sizes, too.

09. Julius Sans One and Archive Narrow

If you’re looking for a smart, professional look, this is a great font pairing to try. Julius Sans One is an all caps font that only comes in one weight, but, with its fine stroke and broader baseline, it’s a top choice for a display font. The more geometric Archivo Narrow is a perfect match and works equally well in print and digital.

10. Oswald and Lato

Launched in 2011, Oswald is a reworking of the ‘Alternate Gothic’ sans-serif type style. It makes a great pairing with Lato (‘summer’ in Polish), which is a warm yet stable sans serif. Both are available in a range of weights and variants, giving this font pairing a lot of versatility. As one of the most loved fonts (as revealed in a recent Adobe study), Lato’s clean and timeless look is a timeless people pleaser.

11. Unifrakturcook & Podkova

An unexpected but playful pair, Unifrakturcook and Podkova are a contemporary font pairing that brings a level of edge to your projects. Unifrakturcook is a bold blackletter font based on Peter Wiegel’s font Koch fette deutsche Schrift. As a title font, it brings a punchy authority that when paired with the more understated Podkova, gives your design an ultra-cool modern look.

12. Super Grotesk and Minion Pro

The ever-popular serifed Minion Pro works perfectly as a headline font when coupled with the nimble sans-serif Super Grotesk for body copy. Together, these fonts serve to create an effortless sense of modern elegance.

13. Nova Mono and Lato

Nova Mono is only available in one style, but it’s a style that’s great for making a statement. Pair it with versatile sans serif Lato to stop things getting too crazy. Lato designer Łukasz Dziedzic wanted something that was nice and clear at small sizes (we’d suggest using it that way in this font pairing), but that revealed some stylised effects when used larger.

14. Gilroy and Jura

This pair of sans serifs works well to create a trendy, industrial look. Gilroy’s geometric style in ExtraBold weight is ideal for headers, while Jura Light ofsets it nicely with its wiry, structured shape. The combination is good for adding a strong, technical feel to creative projects.

15. Orpheus Pro and Twentieth Century

How about looking back at the 1920s with this typeface from designer Sol Hess for Monotype? Twentieth Century has an eye-catching Art Deco vibe (it’s subtle here, but the glamour is amped up in the Twentieth Century Std Poster MT variant). For the perfect type pairing, try Orpheus Pro from Canada Type. This typeface was planned as a new version of Walter Tiemann’s Orpheus and its italic companion font Euphorion, but ended up as something much more elaborate – if you’re using it for display purposes, there are plenty of extensions, alternates, swashes, and ligatures to explore.

16. Playfair Display and Source Sans Pro

Dedicated display typeface Playfair Display boasts high-contrast for some old-fashioned charm. Meanwhile, Source Sans Pro is a modern sans-serif designed specifically for use in user interfaces. Together, they make a perfect pairing of old and new, with the understated Source Sans Pro letting Playfair Display really shine.

17. Rockwell Bold and Bembo

Designed in the 1930s, Rockwell is one of the classic slab serifs. It has a big personality and strong attention-grabbing potential when used bold. The much more conservative serif Bembo is neutral but versatile, making for a perfect contrasting font pairing.

18. Myriad Black and Minion

Myriad and Minion crop up in other font pairings in this list, but this combination is definitely worth considering too. The shouty, ultra-bold Black version of the former and the text weight of the latter can lend a clear hierarchy to designs.

19. Souvenir and Futura Bold

Mixing two strong typographic personalities rarely works because they end up fighting for attention. However, this is an exception. Souvenir is softer and more playful than many of its Old Style serif counterparts, while Futura Bold is quirky without being too dominant.

20. Aviano and Aviano Sans

Only available in all-caps varieties, Aviano has sharp, edgy serifs that give it a distinctive personality. Capturing a spirit of luxury, Aviano could easily find a place among the best fashion logos, thanks to its slick design. Its sans-serif variant is smoother. Combine the two tilting typefaces together to established clear hierarchy in your designs.